AeroVironment, Inc., a global leader in intelligent, multi-domain autonomous systems, announced that it has been awarded a $117.3 million contract by the U.S. Army for its P550™ electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) unmanned aerial system in support of the Army’s Long Range Reconnaissance programme, advancing the Army’s effort to field scalable and adaptable capabilities for modern warfare.
The award was issued under a Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) through a competitive Call for Solutions (C4S) under the U.S. Army’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Marketplace initiative, a centralised digital platform designed to accelerate the procurement of vetted drone technologies.
Through the award, AV will provide 82 P550 uncrewed aircraft systems in support of the Army’s Battalion Reconnaissance (UAS) effort. The procurement represents the initial full-rate procurement of the P550 system and reflects the Army’s commitment to rapidly fielding proven commercial capabilities that enhance long-range reconnaissance, autonomy and distributed operations.
The award further reinforces AV’s role in delivering scalable, mission-ready solutions aligned with the Army’s modernisation priorities.
“In today’s battlespace, adaptability is no longer an advantage, it’s a requirement,” said Wahid Nawabi, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at AV. “The P550 gives maneuver forces the ability to rapidly reconfigure, extend their reach, and deliver effects across domains, all while operating in contested environments where speed and autonomy are decisive.”
An autonomous Group 2 eVTOL UAS, AV’s P550 has become a staple of reliability for America’s armed forces and allies by enabling smarter and safer operations through its modular open systems approach (MOSA). The approach supports the integration of third-party payloads, datalinks and mission planning software to adapt to evolving mission requirements.
With a multi-sensor payload capacity of up to 15 pounds, including enhanced lethality options, and up to five hours of all-battery endurance, the P550 delivers sustained, mission-tailored performance across intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), precision strike, electronic warfare and communications relay missions in air, ground and maritime operations. The system can be reconfigured in the field in less than five minutes, allowing operators to hot-swap payloads and batteries without tools.
“What operators consistently tell us is that they need systems that can adapt at the speed of the mission, not hours or days later,” said Trace Stevenson, President of Autonomous Systems at AV. “AV’s P550 delivers that advantage, enabling units to reconfigure in minutes. It reduces the burden on operators while expanding what a single platform can achieve.”
